WANDA GILLESPIE

Counting Frame for Alternative Economic Structures, 2020
Cedar, brass, stainless steel, varnish
2180 x 1200 x 200mm
Price on request

The abacus has been a recurring theme in Wanda Gillespie’s work which took on a new symbolic resonance for her in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her thoughts moved from the abacus as a mystical artefact (counting the immeasurable qualities of the spirit world) to the economic systems we find ourselves inextricably a part of. Their potential collapse and need for restructure are crucial considerations as we rethink our direction for being an environmentally sustainable race with a social conscience. It is well known that economic growth often has a negative impact on the planet so the real ‘cost’ of things is not as straightforward as counting gross domestic product alone. A new method for counting is called for that includes the costs of environmental impacts. This concept has given the abacus sculpture at Brick Bay its full name: A Counting Frame for Alternative Economic Structures. 

Gillespie’s practice is a fusion of traditional craft methods with local materials implemented in contemporary ways. Counting Frame is a complex and ornamentally detailed abacus made from brass and cedar wood. Her research explored the objects used for counting across a range of cultures and time periods as well as studying alternative economic structures. The earliest records of abacus or counting frame were found in ancient Mesopotamia. They have been widely used in eastern Europe, Egypt, Persia and much of Asia. 

As Gillespie recalls, “Within my work I often take known objects and reinvent their purpose, gifting them with more esoteric functions. I enjoy unifying the physical and spiritual worlds and pondering the artists role as artefact producer within a cyclical history of ever rising and falling civilisations.”